If you're a WGU student looking to save time and money, accelerating your studies with Study.com and Sophia.org could be great options for you. WGU charges around $4,000 per 6-month term which is very costly, meaning the quicker you finish classes, the less money you spend. With Sophia and Study.com, you can complete 50% (or more) of your degree before enrolling, allowing you to potentially save thousands of dollars that would have been spent on additional terms at WGU.
How To Get Started: Planning Stage
Take a look at WGU's partner page which shows you what classes can be transferred in for your degree. Scroll down to the bottom and view the many sources WGU accepts for transfer credit (including Sophia and Study.com). Here's the direct link to the Sophia and Study.com transfer pathways where you can select your degree and view exactly which classes can be transferred in from these sites.
Create a spreadsheet to keep track of all your classes, including transfer courses and the type of projects or assignments in each class. Here's a free up-to-date spreadsheet for the WGU Bachelor's in Cybersecurity which includes all classes in the degree and also the corresponding Sophia/Study.com classes to satisfy them.
Plan out a timeline of your courses and set general due dates for each class. Keep in mind, all transfer credits and requirements must be fulfilled by the 15th of the month preceding your first term. For example, if you are planning to start on January 1st you must complete all your transfer courses and send transcripts to WGU by December 15th. I recommend using Google Calendar or some sort of digital organization tool to help you visualize your timeline and get those classes completed on time.
Save money on your subscriptions by using deals on your Sophia and Study.com membership. Many students use discount codes such as Josh Madakor's code for 30% off of their first 3 months. Additionally, Sophia frequently offers discounts of up to 20% off, so keep an eye out for these opportunities to save some extra cash on your subscription.
What is Sophia.org?
Sophia is an excellent resource to accelerate your WGU classes. In all of Sophia's membership options you're limited to enrolling in two courses at a time, but after one course has been passed and graded you can immediately start another course. This model makes it possible to complete many classes per month which is great for accelerating your classes.
What to Expect
As someone who has personally used Sophia.org, I can say the courses are straightforward, well-structured, and present the material in a way that is easy to learn. Additionally, all the quizzes and assessments are open-book and unproctored which greatly reduces testing pressure. Sophia even provides access to the study material during assessments, which makes passing a breeze. In order to pass each class, you'll need to earn a score of 70% or higher which is easily achievable in Sophia's setup. So if you're looking to accelerate your progress at WGU, Sophia.org is definitely worth considering.
Touchstones vs Milestones
Sophia courses can be classified into two groups based on the type of final assessment: Touchstone Final classes and Milestone Final classes. Touchstone Final classes are likely to take longer to complete, as they require a lengthy written project of some kind. On the other hand, Milestone Final classes are typically shorter, multiple-choice, unproctored exams. Try to avoid taking two classes with Touchstone Finals simultaneously, as completing a Touchstone project can take a significant amount of time. Additionally, after submitting a Touchstone project, you'll have to wait 5-7 days for it to be graded before moving on to another course. By being aware of the differences between Touchstone and Milestone Final classes, you can better plan your course load and avoid any potential scheduling issues.
What is Study.com?
Study.com is another excellent resource for accelerating your classes at WGU. They technically allow you to take as many courses as you want but place many limitations on the number of tests you can take per month. There's a limit of two tests per month in the College Accelerator subscription. However, if you require additional tests you'll need to pay an extra $70 per test, and you can only purchase 3 additional tests per month. This limits you to a total of up to 5 tests per month. Due to this pricing plan, Study.com will be more expensive than Sophia, so it's best to take as many courses as possible on Sophia.
What to Expect
To pass a Study.com course, you'll need to achieve a minimum score of 70%. The quizzes on Study.com are only 5-6 questions, give you three attempts, and provide the correct answers after each attempt. In most cases, if you score 100% on all of the quizzes, you'll only need 55% on the final exam to pass (which is below failing!). Although the final exams on Study.com are proctored, there is little pressure on you to perform if you have a solid foundation from your quizzes.
Practice Exam Tip
Here's a Study.com secret: Taking the practice exam in each course before attempting any of the quizzes can be extremely beneficial. Depending on your performance on certain topics in the practice exam, Study.com will eliminate a significant number of quizzes for completion, lessening the number of quizzes you're required to take. This trick can save you time and effort so make sure to immediately take the practice exam before starting each course.
Studying Tips
To excel in your Study.com classes, it's important to take notes on the course material, and pay attention to finer details that may be easy to skip over. This is crucial because there are many final exam questions that focus on these specifics, so definitely know the material well. Also, It's essential to focus on comprehension over memorization, as many final exam questions test your understanding of concepts.
It's also wise to pay close attention to quiz questions, as the final exam will likely include reworded versions of these questions. In some cases, the final exam even repeats these quiz questions verbatim. A helpful way to gauge your readiness is to aim for a score of 90% or higher on when taking their practice exams. Once you've reached this point, you're fully prepared to tackle the final and confidently pass the exam.
"Proctored" Exams
The proctored exam is recorded, not live so you will need to take an ID photo, do a video scan of your room before the exam, and finally take the final while being recorded. You will be required to download a proctoring software provided by Study.com to complete all of these necessary steps. You also do not need an external webcam to take these exams so your internal webcam will be just fine. If you follow the instructions provided, the process should be straightforward and easy to navigate.
Hopefully, this guide has provided you with a better understanding of using Sophia and Study.com for transfer credit. Remember to make a plan and use these tips to accelerate to the best of your ability. Best of luck on your WGU Journey!
-Elyssa
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